Fans of classic French films might recognize this sage-green facade on the banks of Canal St-Martin, which inspired Eugène Dabit's 1920s novel ‘Hôtel du Nord’ and in turn Marcel Carnés 1930s movie, which features exterior shots of the building.

Dabit lived here when it was a working-class hotel run by his parents and while it no longer rents rooms, it's now a heritage-listed bar/bistro lined with mosaic mural tiles, shelves full of books and deep sofas.

You can just drop by the zinc bar for an apéro or nightcap, but it's an enchanting, slightly bohemian setting to dine on its French-with-an-international-accent menu that includes excellent seafood (foil-wrapped cod, St-Jacques scallops in orange butter) along with mainstays like its crunchy Asian salad, and gourmet cheeseburger, all served by down-to-earth staff.

Glowing candles make it especially seductive at night but if things are tight, the lunchtime plat du jour and coffee just about fits into budget territory.